What's going on in the Capitol City this Saturday?

November 6, 2009 6:34 PM

Are there any museum exhibits, art installations, or events going on in D.C. tomorrow (Saturday) that are worth checking out?

I lived in DC back in 2004, so I don't need general sightseeing recommendations. Just looking to check out whatever's New! and Exciting! Thanks.

posted by HotPatatta to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

Well, you probably haven't been to the Newseum, or seen the Smithsonian butterfly habitat, or the National Museum of the American Indian.
posted by jgirl at 6:54 PM on November 6

According to The Smithsonian:

"Visiting us in DC this weekend? Honor Sesame Street's 40th Anniverary celebration in style! - check out "One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure" at the National Air and Space Museum's Albert Einstein Planetarium. Tag along while Big Bird and Elmo explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a Muppet from Zhima Jie, the Chinese co-production of Sesame Street. Check the link for dates and showtimes. Oh, did we mention it's FREE!"
posted by greekphilosophy at 7:34 PM on November 6

I'm looking forward to this exhibit about Man Ray and African art the next time I visit DC.
posted by extrabox at 7:44 PM on November 6

National Museum of the American Indian isn't worth it. Cool building, though.

The butterfly habitat has been tempting to me, and if you want to pay the nominal fee, I'd do it. Newseum's admission price is too steep for me, but you might feel otherwise.

Sadly, the Yinka Shonibare MBE exhibit at the African Art Museum doesn't open until Nov. 10.

I actually want to go see this exhibit on parking garages but your mileage may vary on that one.

The Hirshhorn has a couple of exhibits that I'm interested in right now. This photography exhibit at the National Gallery also seems pretty great.

Really, though, I've been kind of bored with the current offerings at the museums. I spent last Sunday going in and out of various ones and nothing really spoke to me.
posted by darksong at 8:54 PM on November 6

Sorry -- the National Gallery link should've been this.
posted by darksong at 8:55 PM on November 6

There are two cool (to me) things at National Gallery of Art - stuff from the Myerhoff's personal collection, and The Darker Side of Light: Arts of Privacy.
posted by ersatzkat at 3:56 AM on November 7 [1 favorite has favorites]

Newseum exhibits are boring. They do not take a critical eye toward journalism; instead it's "rah rah, journalists are great!" Even if they were intent on adopting this propagandistic angle, they could have done a better job at it--focus on journalists who were murdered, or jailed, or who saved the world. Dull, dull, dull, and not worth $20.

That said, I don't know what your tastes are, but the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery probably weren't open when you were last here, and I do like some of the modern art in there. The building also has some nice spaces.
posted by massysett at 5:03 AM on November 7

This opened yesterday at the National Portrait Gallery - its a wonderful musuem and in a GREAT neighborhood - Gallery Place Chinatown. ">Here's the description:

"How do we define community today? Through new electronic networking, our connections with family, friends and acquaintances are increasingly widespread. And yet, we are still drawn to the idea of small communities and face-to-face interaction. Each of the three painters selected for “Portraiture Now: Communities” has explored this idea through a series of related portraits of friends, townspeople, or families. Rose Frantzen has portrayed 180 people from her hometown, Maquoketa, Iowa. The oil paintings are 12" x 12" and were created over a twelve-month period. Jim Torok creates meticulous small scale oil on panel portraits. On view will be his portraits of fellow artists from New York as well as a series of paintings documenting three generations of a single family. Rebecca Westcott, until her untimely death in 2004, created nuanced full-length images of her peers, often Philadelphians in their 20s, which merge expressive figuration with a gritty street art aesthetic. Seen together, the paintings by these three artists suggest the enduring power of personal communities. "

After checking that out, you could go to the Spy Museum, eat lunch at Zola or Matchbox, get ice cream at Hagenz Daz...eat salad at Chop't. Lots to do on a nice day like today.
posted by dmbfan93 at 8:57 AM on November 7

Thanks for the suggestions! After getting caught in the middle of a "Kill the Bill!" anti-healthcare reform rally, I visited Big Bird at the planetarium, saw the Judith Leyster and Darker Side of Light exhibits at the NGA, introduced myself to Jane Harmon, and scarfed down a Cinnabon. It was a delightful day with perfect weather.
posted by HotPatatta at 12:04 PM on November 8